Fire-resistant wall construction



' Sept. 21, 1954 J. A. ROBERTSON FIRE-RESISTANT WALL CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3, 1951 A 1r W INI ENTOR. 4/?MZ11/ Z;

Sept. 21, 1954 J. A. ROBERTSON 2,639,472

FIRE-RESISTANT WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 3, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV EN TOR.

4 WM. .142; fia

Patented Sept. 21, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John A. Robertson,

United States Gypsum Company,

a corporation of Illinois Application January 3, 1951, Serial No. 204,172 2 Claims. (01. 7238) The present invention relates to a wall construction and has special reference to a fire- In order to reduce both the time of construction of such buildings and the cost thereof, it is proposed to employ large sheets of suitable material, such as aluminum or stainless steel, for the exterior facing of the buildings. As these, sheets are not sufiiciently fire-resistant, it is necessary also to fill the bays between the frame members with a fire-resistant construction. The present inven-, tion relates to such a fire-resistant wall construction.

The slabs employed in this wall construction are preferably provided with interlocking metal edges of a width substantially less than the thickness of the slabs. The uncovered or raw edge portions of at least some of the slabs are undercut adjacent the rear surfaces thereof to provide a relatively wide space between adjacent slabs which, when filled with grout, results in a strong, fire-resistant joint. As the slabs themselves are quite thick and highly fire-resistant, the resulting wall is classed as a fireproof wall.

-While the present wall construction is particularly suitable for exterior walls, it may also be employed for interior partitions.

"Anobjctof this invention is to provide a fireresistant wall construction formed of precast slabs of cementiti ous material.

Another object is to provide a fire-resistant wall which can be quickly and economically erected betweenfthe frame members of a building.

{Still another object of the invention is to provide such a wall whichis interlocked with and sealed to the frame members.

i .A further object is to provide metal-edged slabs of cementitious material which may be employed to form a unitary fire-resistant wall.

A still further object is to provide a fire-resistant wall construction formed of precast slabs having strong fire-resistant joints connecting the.

slabs together.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and claims when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which: 7

"Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the rear or unexposed face of a wall construction embodying Deerfield, Ill., assignor to Chicago, Ill.,

2 the present invention secured between the fram members of a building;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional lines 3-3 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of one of the slabs employed in the wall construction;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a front elevational view of another form of slab which may be employed in the present construction;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view view taken along the view taken along the 7 taken on the lines 8-8 of Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is a transverse cross-sectional view takenon the lines 9-9 of Fig. '7;

Fig. 10 is a front elevational view of another Referring to the drawings, and more particu-' larly toFigs. 1, 2, and 3, there is shown a build ing construction comprising vertical frame members H and I2 and horizontal frame members l3 and I4 connecting the vertical framemembers. The frame members ll, l2, l3 andltare of the type commonly employed in large buildings, such as ofi'ice buildings, and may consist of reinforced concrete or steel beams fireproofed with concrete; They define a wall opening IS in which a plurality of slabs I6 is positioned. The slabslfi are preferably precast slabs of'cementitious material, such ascalcined gypsum, although other cementitioustype materials may be used provided they will" form a slab having sulficiently great strength and. fire resistance.

Referring to Figs. 4-12, various types ofslabs which may be employed in the present invention are illustrated. They are all provided with cooperating interlocking edge constructions, such as tongues and grooves. The slabs l 6 are reinforced and arepreferably provided with suitable edgereinforcing members. In forming the slabs a metal edge frame member 41 of suitable shape is first placed in the mold along with wire reinforcing members l8 and thereafter an aqueous calcined gypsum slurry is poured into the mold.

The slabs are preferably oblong in shape and of various sizes. Assuming that the opening be tween the frame members ll-l4 is 10 feet by 10 feet, the slabs may be 2 feet wide and feet long or less, it being desirable that the total length of the shorter slabs placed end to end be approximately 10 feet.

One type of slab shown in Figs. 4-6 is provided with tongues 19 on the opposite longitudinal edges thereof adjacent the front face of the slab. Throughout the specification the outer exposed face of the slab is referred to as the "front face while the opposite or unexposed face of the slab in a wall construction is designated the rear face.

fire will normally impingeif The lower end of the slab l-6 may be provided with a groove 2! and the opposite or upper end of the slab with a tongue 22,, the groove 2| and. tongue 22 being situated adjacent the front surface of the slab J6, similarly to the tongues 19.

Another type of slab which may be employed is-i-llustratedin Figs. 7', 8,. and 9. This slab has grooves 23 in opposite sidesthereof adjacent the front face of the slab, a. groove 24: in the lower end thereof and a tongue 25 at the upper end.

A third form. of slabwhich may be employed in the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 10-12. It has a groove 26 on one side and a tongue 21 on the opposite side. As in the previous slabs, the lower edge is preferably provided with a groove 28 and the upper edge with a tongue 29.

Other types of slabs maybe employed so-long as the adjoining edges of the slabs arefiprovided with interlocking connections. However, it has been found desirable to have a groove in the lower edges of. the slabs which are to: be positioned adjacent the lower horizontal frame member i4- and a tongue.- on theupper ends of the slabs which are to be positioned adjacent the upper horizontal memberv [3. It is also desirable that the edges of the slabs adjoining the upright frame members H. and I2 have tongues.

As above pointed out, the slabs are preferably provided with reinforcing edging members of metal or other suitable material forming a frame IJ-. The frame members l1, illustrated particularly; in Figs. 2 and 3, are generally angle-shaped in cross section with one side overlying-the front face of the slab and the other side overlying the adjacent edge. The side. of each frame member i=1, overlying the front face of the slab, preferablyflush-therewith, may be expanded as shown at'32- and: bent inwardly to bond with the cemen titious core. The other side 33: of each frame member I1 is positioned along the edge of the slab and is' shaped as indicated at 33 to fit over aslab tongue, or asindicated at-3 l to. fit in a slab groove. The cooperating tongue. and groove. edge members are shaped to permit the tongues to fit-into the adjacent grooves. with the edge members toward the front face thereof tightly engaging each other. If desired, instead of. expanding the free end of the edge member 30, a

piece of expanded. or perforated metal. may be.

welded thereto to form a suitable bond with the core of theslab.

The. sides 33 and 34 of edging members l.l'- extend-inwardly from the frontfaces toward thev rear faces of the slabs-a distance preferably less than. one-half the thickness of the slab so as to minimize. the transmission; of heat through the slabs by the edging members. The slabs may vary in thickness but it has been. found that a thickness of about i. inches. results great fire. resistance. While it is. not essential: that the The front face. may becalled the fire side, as it is the one against which 4 metal edgings I! extend to the front surfaces of the slabs, it is desirable that they be spaced at a distance from the rear or unexposed surfaces thereof.

In forming a slab the frame consisting of the metal reinforcing edge members I! is placed in a suitable mold along with the wire reinforcing l8 and thereafter an aqueous, calcined gypsum slurry or other cementitious material is poured into the mold. For some purposes the slabs may be formed without the reinforcing edges H but even then the wire reinforcing 18 should be employed.

In: order to have a. stronge fire resistant joint 1 between the building frame members H and I2 and the adjacent slabs I6, the opposed vertical edges of these frame members are preferablyprovided with a metal groove member 35 (Fig. 2 shaped and arranged to receive the tongue edge 33 of the adjacent slab or slabs Hi.

It is desirable to enlarge the rear part of the joint between adjoining slabs or between the slabs. and the frame members for the reception of grout. This may be accomplished by undercutting the sides of. both slabs. forming a joint, although it has been found preferable to cut out only the slab portions rearwardly' of the tongues. a illustrated in Fig. 2. While the recess doesnot have to be as deep as that shown, it may extend from the rear edges of the: reinforcing edge members 33 and: 34 to the rearfa-ces of the slabs, and. is of sufficient width to facilitate the insertion of grout 31 therein. Thus, the enlarged or recessed joint portions 36 will be present he tween adjoining slabs or between slabs and the:

adjacent edges of the frame members H and. f2. The-grout employed is preferably of the expand ing type.

If desired, the interlocking portions of the slabs, such as the-.tongues and grooves, may be It is also-desirable that the.- lower faceof the 7 upper frame member i=3 be provided. with-a;

groove member 38 for receiving therein the tongue. portion: 33 on the upper endsof the slabs adjacent. thereto. The groove member '38: is similar to the groove members 35 in the ,uprightframing. members II and. I2.

In constructing. the wall, wedges '39 are pref:

erably inserted under the bottom edges of'the.

slabs forcing the reinforced tongue edging members 33 in the groove members 38. The recessed or undercut joint portions are thereafter filled with grout 31, as shown in. Figs". 2 and 3, and grout is also placed beneath the lower ed'ges'of the slabs about the" wedges 39'. Thus the result ing wall construction is unitary, the slabs-being connected together and being secured to the framing members lI'--I' 4 by strong sealed joints.

After the grout has set, the wed-ges lfi may be:- withdrawn and the space previously occupied thereby also filled with; grout.

Angle iron stops 40 are. preferably secured the lower horizontal frame members: l4: witlrone side thereof adjacent the lower front faces. of the. slabs [6 toprevent anyoutward movement of the'slabs at-the bottom.

The present wall construction may also be employed for inside partitions, such as corridor Walls, fire walls, stair walls, elevator shafts, etc., where it is desired to obtain great fire resistance.

The grouting material employed should be highly resistant to fire and must not shrink during drying or setting. Calcined gypsum is therefore an ideal material for this purpose as it expands slightly on setting and is highly resistant to flame and high heat. The calcined gypsum may be mixed with a small quantity of such material as expanded vermiculite or perlite but the amount of this material employed should be insufficient to impair the fire resistance of the grout.

A wall construction as above described is unitary, strong and highly fire-resistant. When gypsum slabs four inches thick are employed, a four-hour fire rating may be obtained.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood of course that the invention is not to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated therefore by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a building construction of the type dedescribed comprising top, bottom and side fireresistant frame members defining a large substantially rectangular space, a plurality of fireresistant precast slabs of cementitious material having interlocking tongue and groove metal edges on all four sides positioned in said space in interlocking engagement, said metal edges being narrower than the thickness of said slabs and extending inwardly from adjacent the front faces of said slabs a distance substantially less than the thickness of said slabs, at least some of the frame members including said top frame member having longitudinally grooved metal strips secured in the sides thereof facing said slabs and said slabs adjacent thereto having tongues with said metal edges thereon fitting into said grooved metal strips, said slabs also having recesses along certain sides thereof extending forwardly from their rear faces toward the metal edges thereon forming cutout portions at the joints between adjacent slabs and between at least some of said frame members and the slabs adjacent thereto, a layer of non-shrinking grout placed between the lower edges of said slabs and the bottom frame member therebeneath to maintain the upper edges of said slabs in interlocking engagement with the top frame member, and non-shrinking grout inserted in said cutout portions of the joints to form a unitary wall structure sealed to said frame members.

2. In a building construction of the type described comprising top, bottom and side fireresistant frame members defining a large substantially rectangular space, a plurality of fireresistant precast slabs of cementitious material having interlocking tongue and groove metal edges on all four sides positioned in said space in interlocking engagement, said metal edges being narrower than the thickness of said slabs and extending inwardly from adjacent the front faces of said slabs a distance substantially less than the thickness of said slabs, at least some of the frame members including said top frame member having longitudinally grooved metal strips secured in the sides thereof facing said slabs and said slabs adjacent thereto having tongues with said metal edges thereon fitting into said grooved metal strips, said slabs also having recesses along certain sides thereof extending forwardly from their rear faces toward the metal edges thereon forming cutout portions at the joints between adjacent slabs and between at least some of said frame members and the slabs adjacent thereto, a layer of non-shrinking grout placed between the lower edges of said slabs and the bottom frame member therebeneath, stop means anchored to said bottom frame member and having portions extending upwardly from adjacent the forward edge thereof for engaging the lower front faces of the adjacent slabs and limiting the forward movement thereof, and nonshrinking grout inserted in said cutout portions of the joints to form a unitary wall structure sealed to said frame members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,491,112 Spink Apr. 22, 1924 1,892,498 Adams Dec. 27, 1932 2,107,144 Davis et al Feb. 1, 1938 2,142,305 Davis Jan. 3, 1939 2,234,114 Gifford Mar. 4, 1941 2,338,246 Hoge Jan. 4, 1944 

